4rilla asks:
How happy and excited was your Mom?

My poor mom. She’s gone through a lot being my mom. She reminded me of the time I told her that I was going to go to the Czech Republic to help my friends start the first English-Language newspaper, Prognosis, (i later decided to stay behind to remain in a great relationship with my girlfriend). She basically freaked out when I told her that I was going to drive around the country (and Canada) in a big circle in a car with 120k miles to thank the readers of the busblog for buying me a car. And of course she had to read all the things that I made up and wrote in this blog “please tell me this isn’t true…”

So the fact that I will soon get health insurance probably tops her list of things she’s stoked for me about.

Aaron asks two questions:
q. If you were told when you sat down in 2001 to write your first post that it would lead to a key position at the LA Times (despite blogging still being off the media radar at that point); would you believe it?

Dude i still dont believe it. any of it. not the success ive had on the busblog, not the success i had at Buzznet, not the success i had at LAist, and sure as hell not this. I am a Cub fan. Nice things don’t happen to us, even if we deserve it.

Will there be any place in the new job for traipsing across the continent uniting other bloggers?

If you recall, when I was Community Manager for Buzznet, I traipsed across Canada, the US, and even Holland under the guise of uniting other bloggers. I believe traipsing and uniting is part of the job description. Hiding and dividing would make me a sad panda.

Carrie axes two too:
one, are you still gonna talk about sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll?

In two weeks I pass that torch to you baby. I’m really old. No one wants to hear an old man write about those things.

two, are you still gonna come to LAist parties? barring that, can I have my birthday party at your place next year?

If I am in town, and I am invited, and there are Jello Shots I will be there. Where else will I be allowed to wear pajamas and drink champagne straight from a bottle?

keir asks:
Is lulu a good option for blooks? Do I recall correctly that you said something like that?

When I was at SXSW this spring I saw three different blook manufacturers, all very impressive. Lulu impressed me a great deal. Specifically how well color photographs looked in the interior pages, and how “real” the books looked. All of the prices were right too. However, I have never made a blook with anyone other than CafePress, so I can only attest for my experiences with them, of which I have no complaints.

the Holywriter asks:
What’s the formula for a good newspaper blog? We’re thinking about putting one on the Marietta Register website.

When i find out i will tell you. but change good to great because that’s what im shootin for. but to me what makes a good blog, in general, will probably apply. and what makes a good blog to me is that the reader is rewarded with every visit. surprise them, challenge them, treat them as adults. and do this around-the-clock.

Can I have your empty chair at LAist?
My chair was actually a black leather couch. And it’s rarely empty, so hands off.

Zona zings:
so now are ya gonna buy a condo and start stashing dough for retirement?

i love my bachelor pad, and it loves me. magic has happened here and its still happening. i like my crazy neighbors, i like how central i am to everything. i like how close i am to the subway and the freeway. aint movin any time soon. as for retirement, im a workaholic. its 2:10am. i am doing this instead of sleeping because i promised you all i would, and i like to be trusted as a man of his word. workaholics probably dont retire, we just work somewhere more heavenly.

Phil asks:
If blogs were a reaction to a lack of character from mainstream news, and now mainstream news (papers, media channels, etc.) are investing heavily in the blogging game, what’s next for blogs? Do they get more and more personal, or do they change direction entirely?

I don’t think blogs were a reaction to anything, especially what you suggest. Blogs were an opportunity for every day people to express themselves on web pages without having to be masters at HTML, Photoshop, and FTP. People have been interested in expressing themselves since cavemen (and cavewomen) painted on cave walls.

Now that the MSM are getting on the bandwagon, the only difference that I can see is that bloggers will start to have easier ways to find stories that interest them. when people aren’t blogging about their personal lives, they’re blogging about current events. since the MSM are usually the ones who get (and keep) the topics on the table regarding current events, MSM blogs can aid bloggers with the stats-facts-and-graphics that could make blogging about those topics easier on the eyes – and more factual.

I don’t think that personal blogging can get any more personal unless people start figuring out ways to put webcams inside their bodies. Right now most bloggers’ webcams are in their bedrooms, which is a tad more personal than most of us feel comfortable with, Pitt.

If there is a new direction in blogging, I believe it will go the opposite way – outdoor blogging. Right now people blog in their homes and at work because thats where their computers are. Once the iPhone and other devices like that become more blog-friendly, people will be able to see something, hold up their cameraphone device, say a few things, maybe even type in some text and upload it quickly and easily.

I haven’t seen a device like that yet, but if Google really does have a phone in the works, and if it doesnt allow for easy, portable, blogging, then they’re missing the one killer ap that will seperate them from Apple. Yeah it’s neato to flip through colorful album covers to get to your mp3s on the iPhone, but if you can let someone blog something quick in a matter of minutes, then you really have something useful instead of something thats just cute.

such a sweet write up on Adrants

but first pix from the party

my boss at LAist had two, and only two rules for me for doing my job

1. get more hits than everyone without getting sued
2. drink with the contributers every month

as our staff grew i decided to move the drinkfests from local bars to our homes so that we could have better conversations (i hate shouting), allow those with kids to bring their lil angels, and so we could party all night long if we wanted.

turned out we also ended up spending less money on the deals which meant we could get better food, better booze, and enjoy better overall parties.

yesterday we had our last LAist bbq with me as the head honcho, so i wore my pajamas to celebrate the fact that i will have to wear far more uncomfortable clothes in a few weeks.

thanks Andy for hosting, bbqing, and providing such a great place to party – and for taking the pics above!

about my job

for the last two days my phone has been ringing off the hook.

ive been doing interviews with friends and (apparently) enemies

but since i cut my teeth on the busblog, and since you are my true loves

if you ask me a question in the comments, i will answer them in the next post.

that way the busblog gets a chance to innerview me too,

an excersize that is never dull, so lemme have it.

i am leaving LAist

and yes its true i am going to be running all the blogs at

the LA freakin Times

(i cant believe it either)

Days after making up with rapper Kanye West, legendary daredevil Evel Knievel has landed himself in the news once again, not for making an improbable stunt landing, but for doing something one day all of us regular folks are going to do. He died today in his home state of Florida at the age of 69.

– read the rest here

fucker was never supposed to die. he was my first and longest hero.

i guess the lord had some semis he wanted someone to jump for him.

there are many people who i miss, but danielle is one of the top 4.

currently residing in san dieger, one of my least favorite towns in the world, danielle is just about finishing up her masters in hotness.

when she was at E! she was a lifesaver.

people joked when she was hired by saying, oh yeah tony youre sure gonna love our new girl, and sure enough we hit it off immediately talking about books and poetry and bukowski and music and every day we ate lunch together and during our breaks we took pictures and at night we got naked and swam in the pacific and rode dolphins to the horizon and dried off in the sun.

lately we’ve been keeping in touch via facebook and phone and if she hadnt taken a trip up to frisco i would have totally driven down to san duhblahblah to party with her and watch her fashion show her many high quality outfits

but shes up north and all i can do is send my best regards her way

and thank the Lord for bringing her into my little universe, particularily when he did, because that job was so terrible and she kept me from the edges of tall buildings

and for that i will be forever indebted.

she has so much life in her heart and her eyes and her soul that her laughter is contagious and spirit is so beautiful

but the best part about her is she immediately trusted me, which is the greatest compliment anyone can give. its a gift that never ends and i love her.

happy birthday hippy girl with caviar tastes.

xoxoxo
tony

its 436pm i have been in my pajamas all day. you wake up as early as you can and you stay up as late as you can. and if something good happens you hope it happens some time when people can see it.

this morning rodney king got shot in the face.

minutes later the story was on LAist thanks to our News Editor

an hour after that our story was on the front page of digg, instead of MSNBC’s story or the LATimes’. why? because we presented it in a way that “the kids” wanted to see it. and we had video that the other two news organizations would never provide. one being the local news clip from KNBC, and the other being the video from the infamous night in 1991.

LAist is all about teamwork, communication, and blogging while at work. and being ruthless and about having the eye of the tiger and the nose for news.

God bless everyone at LAist, Digg, and this crazy thing called the web.

now i will take a shower, have a beer, and eat my first meal of the day.

and its so interesting to hear people boo when he says Give the Iraqi’s back their country.

do only republicans would boo freedom?

snoop dogg getting his groove on

and remember that college girl i complained about

well now i sorta miss her.

yes she was a pain in the ass, and didnt put out, and her head wasnt screwed on right, and she will probably break up with her dude as soon as she gets home, instead of breaking up with him BEFORE she came to my house. but life doesnt always turn out the way that you think it will

however, life sometimes turns out better than the way you think it will

which is why you shouldnt bitch so much because life would be so fucking boring if every girl just spread her legs for you as soon as you snapped your fingers.

today they didnt have rib tips at the Pantry so i got short ribs which i always forget are super fatty. whoops there i am bitching again.

ron paul was on the debates today and they kept cutting him off. they let romney talk as much as he wanted. and rudy. and wtf is Fred doing there, the guys got nothing and he seems to be aging with every second that hes up there.

and mccain seemed pissed about something, but i gotta say mr mike huckabee really did shine especially when they asked him Who Would Jesus Execute via the Death Penalty.

his answer: Jesus was smart enough not to run for public office.

its 330 and i miss her. i havent thrown away the ginger ale cans she drank out of. i havent put away her reduced fat Cheez-Its.

pain in the ass, but what isnt these days, especially as sweet as she was. everything has its price.

she called me from the airport crying and i said what are you crying about and she sniffed that she was sorry that the way things worked out and i try not to think about how girls look cuz its all a huge fake out but she always had the best clothes. not expensive, just things that were so adorable.

i know when you look at the weather for LA you see that it was 75 today but somehow it was a cold 75. cuz its warm for a few hours, if youre in the sun, but the mornings are cold and the nights are cold. its like an oreo of weather. so she had on this winter jacket with fuzzy faux fur around her hood and her face was a target for kissing in there and her cute little scarf was doing absolutely no good

but girls can just accessorize with the best of them

and i will miss her because her tears are right, i will probably never see her again.

which is why i probably wont throw away this diet coke can either

since her glitter lipstick is still hanging on to the edges

proof that all cheerleaders still exist. and someones still sorta got it.

plus i was half of a great interview.